Magnetic separator



Aug. 16, 1960 Filed Oct. lO, 1957 R. L. DRAPER ET AL MAGNETIC SEPARATOR 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS' RALPH L. DRAPER BYEDWRDJ WJTZGALL United States Patent() 2,949,191 MAGNETIC sEPARAToR Filed Oct. 10, 1957, Ser. N0."689,345

9 Claims. ('Cl. 210-222) This invention relates to magnetic separators for use in pipe systems.

In the prior art it has been proposed to provide a magnetic separator housing with a bypass conduit directly connecting the inlet ports with the outlet ports as in U.S. Patent 2,636,608 to Prevost of April 28, 1953. Such an integral bypass enables cleaning of the separator without shutting off the pipe system but the material bypassing the separator is not cleared of metallic particles therein.

In this invention the magnetic separator housing is provided with common interior partitions which divide it into two independent separators. Slideable gates open and close either or both separators to enable magnetic separation to be continuous within` the housing, even though one separator is being cleaned. When both separators are used simultaneously, each being capable of handling the full volume of flow in the pipe system, the doubled separation space slows down the liow, reduces turbulence and avoids flushing out of metallic particles.

The principal object of the invention is to provide an improved magnetic separator housing having two independent separation chambers usable jointly or separately as desired, each chamber having a baffle partition guiding inuent material both lengthwise and crosswise of the magnetic plates therein.

Another object of the invention is to provide a magnetic separator housing with a separation chambernhaving a full length horizontal baile, or constricted portion, the inlet and outlet ports being accessible only from opposite sides thereof. All material must, therefore, travel under the baille and laterally across longitudinal magnetic plates to reach the outlet port.

A further object of the invention is to provide a magnetic separator housing with independent separation chambers, each having a dead end 'pocket at the outlet end. Magnetic particles are thus trapped in the pocket, or flushed along the magnetic plates into the pocket, and an accumulation of the same does not reduce or constrict ilow through the chamber for a considerable time. When one of the chamber pockets has accumulated a substantial mass of tramp metal, that chamber may be closed ott for cleaning while theother chamber continues in use.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a magnetic separator housing having baffle means directing influent material laterally toward the outside walls, the baille means including a horizontal baffle redirecting the material laterally toward a common inside wall, thereby achieving a transverse llow across longitudinally extending magnetic plates positioned under the horizontal baflie.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the claims, the description of the drawings, and from the drawings in which Fig. l is a perspective View, partly broken away, of a preferred embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 1A is a fragmentary, perspective detail view of one of the baille means of the invention.

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Fig. 2 is a side view in section on line 2--2 of Fig. 3 of the device shown in Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is an end view in section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an end view in section on line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is an end view in section on line 5-'5 of Fig. 6 of a modification, and

Fig. 6 is a side Viewv in section on line 6-6 of the device shown in Fig. 5.

As shown in Figs. 1-4 the magneticseparator of this invention comprises a housing 20, having an inlet coupling 21 and an outlet coupling 22 preferably axially aligned Aand provided with flanges 23 and 24 for connection in a pipe system.

The housing 20 includes an upper uid control chamber 25, divided by the vertical, lateral partition 26 into a forward inlet compartment 27 and a rearward outlet compartment 28. VA lower separation chamber 30 is formed in housing 20 by the horizontal partitio'n 31', and chamber 30 is divided by the central longitudinal partition 29 into side by side separation compartments 32 and 33.

Horizontal partition 31, which forms the floor of inlet and outlet compartments 27 and 28 and forms the roof of separation compartments 32 and 33 is provided with a pair of identical inlet ports or apertures 34 and 36 and a pair of identical outlet ports or apertures 35 and 37 each port being only about half the length of the inlet and outlet compartments and being located centrally near the lateral partition 26. Each port is provided with a closure gate, or plate, such as 38, 39, 40 and 41, each gate being also about half the length of the respective inlet and outlet compartments and each slideable in grooves such as 43 in the horizontal partition 31. A `depending lug such as 44, integral with each gate, is threadedly engaged on the threads of a longitudinally extending threaded rod such as 45 or 46, the rods 45 and 46 being rotatable in journals such as 47 and 48 at opposite ends of the partition 31. Each rod 45 and 46 extends outside housing 20, as at 50 and '51, and includes a squared end such as 52 to permit turning thereof by a wrench or hand wheel. VRotation of either rod 45 or 46 thus causes the slideable gates 38 and 39 or, 40 and 41 to approach each other to close the ports 34 and 36 or 35 and 37. Counter rotation causes the gates to moves away from each other and open the ports.

As shown, the couplings 21 and 22 are preferably formed from a single piece of pipe cut away as at '53 and 54 to leave a central web 55, the partition 26 comprising an interior disc '56 plus two exterior plates 57 and 58 welded on opposite sides of the pipe.

The end wall 61 of housing 20 includes a pair of openings 62 and 63 each closed by a detachable cover such as 64. Each cover such as 64 is hinged at 66 and closed by means of the locking bar 67, nuts 68 and bolts 69.

A pair of magnetic members 71 and '72, each having permanent magnets such as 73 and a pair of Aparallel longitudinally extending magnetized plates 74 and 75 are each located in the lower portion of a separation com.- partment 32 or 33. The magnetic members 71 and 72 are similar to those shown in the above mentioned Patent 2,636,608 and therefore are not described 'in detail herein. The magnetic plates 74 and 75 thus form the bottom or floor of the separation chamber for magnetically gripping all magnetizable particles, tramp metal, etc., passing through the chamber. Magnetic members 71 and 72 may be inserted and removed through the openings 62 and 63 when desired, and the openings are of suicient height to also permit the plates 74 and 75 to be cleaned of foreign material without removing the members 71 and 72 from the housing. T 4

Central longitudinal partition 29 preferably includes the single vertical plate 77, a pair of spaced, parallel plates 78 and 79, the horizontal plate 81 and the central lateral plate 82, thus forming two drain compartments 83 and 84. Drain .c9mpartment .8.3 .GQ11119918 with separation compartment 33 through aperture 85 includes a drain aperture 86 in the bottom wall 87 in which a pipe drain nipple 88 is threadedly mounted. A similar aperture 90 connects drain compartment V84 with separation chamber 32 there being a threaded drain aperture 91 for a pipe drain nipple 92 in the bottom wall of the compartment.

The baille means, or baille partition means, of the housing 20 are identical but opposed, or back to back, whereby only one set of the same need be described. Preferably each baille means is formed by a unitary, multiple, baille member adapted to create a circuitous ilow within the housing 20. Each baille means such as 94 and 95 includes an inclined portion 96 extending from the top of the inside wall formed by partition 29, at the level of partition 31 downwardly and outwardly toward the lower portion of the outside wall of each separation compartment formed by the side walls 97 and 98 of housing 20, the portion 96 terminating in a plane at a spaced distance above the plane of the plates 74 and 75. Each downwardly inclined portion 96 extends from the forward end wall 99 of housing 20 to the lateral centre line thereof and iluent material passing through the inlet ports 34 and 35 from inlet compartment 27 is thus directed laterally outwardly toward the side walls of the housing. Each baille means 94 and 95 is slit at 101 to form a portion 102 which is vertical, rather than inclined, and extends the full length of the rearward end of the separation compartment under the outlet oompartment 28. The free terminal portion 103 of each baille means 94 and 95 is bent back toward the central partition 29 for a substantial distance to form a horizontal baille portion 104 parallel to and spaced above the magnetic plates 74 and 75. A triangular plate 105 is welded to the portions 96 and 102 at the lateral centre line of the housing7 to prevent material ilowing directly from inlet ports 34 and 35 into outlet ports 36 and 37.

Elongaited, narrow inlet conduits 107 and 10.8 within the housing 20 are thus formed by the inside faces of the housing side walls 97 and 98 and of the housing end walls 61 and 99 together with the outside faces of the inclined portion 96, the vertical portion 102 and the triangular plate portion 105 of baille means 94 and 95. The inlet mouths 109 and 110 are relatively narrow laterally, but extend the full length of housing 2t) to deliver a flattened stream into the influence of magnetic plates 74 and 75.

The horizontal baille portion 104 of each baille member 94 and 95 forces all material seeking an exit from the separation chambers to move laterally across the plates 74 and 75 in a still llattened stream. In order to reach the outlet ports, or outlet apertures 36 and 37, the material must also travel axially or longitudinally from below inlet compartment 27 to below outlet compartment 28.

It should be noted that the inlet mouths 109 and 110 being full length of the housing rtend to ilush all material including tramp metal, under the horizontal baille portion 104 and toward the longitudinal centre line of the housing. However, outlet ports 36 and 37 are adjacent the lateral centre line of the housing with the remainder of horizontal partition 31 forming a roof over a dead end pocket 114 or 115 in each separation chamber. Foreign material may thus accumulate in the pockets 114 and 115 without reducing the ilow unduly and can be easily removed by means of the covers 64 and 65.

It will be apparent thart the housing 20 permits the use of either or both separation compartments and that in each compartment all fluid material must ,follow a path over the magnetic plates 74 and 75 having a lateral as well as a longitudinal component.

A modification is shown in Figs. 5 and 6 wherein the housing includes a separation chamber 121 having a vertical, longitudinal partition 122 forming a pair of independent longitudinal separation compartments 123 and 124. Longitudinal magnetic plates such as 125 and 126 iloor each of the separation compartments and the inlet means 127 of the housing includes the coupling 128 and the inlet chamber 129 as well as a pair of identical inlet ports 131 and 132 in the horizontal partition 133 which forms the -roof of the separation compartments. The baille means 134 and 135 in each compartment depends from the roof thereof downwardly and outwardly terminating in the horizontal portions 136 and 137 spaced above the plates 125 and 126 to llatten out the stream of tluent material. The inclined portions y138 and 139 of each baille means 134 and 135 is below the inlet ports 131 and 132 and dellects the inlluent material to one side of the separation compartment whereby it must move laterally across the longitudinal plates before reaching the outlet means of the housing. The outlet means 142 includes the longitudinal trap partitions 143 and 144, each having an inclined iloor as at 145 and forming an outlet conduit 146 to the outlet coupling 147. Gate means are provided for the inlet and outlet ports in order to close oif one separation compartment when not required or when cleaning is necessary. Opposed pairs of threadedly movable inlet gates such as at 150, 151 and 157 are slidable in suitable tracks by means of the left hand and right hand threads of the rods 152 and 153, operable from outside the housing by turn handles such as 160 in a manner similar to the operation of rods 45 and 46, to open and close inlet ports 31 or 32. A flutter type gate 154 is mounted in outlet conduit 146 with suitable stops at 155 and 156 and is automatically closed by the pressure of the iluent material in one compartment when the other compartment is at less pressure. Suitable covers and clean out openings not shown, similar to covers 64 and openings 62 are provided for removal of the magnetic plate elements and for cleaning tramp metal from the separation compartments.

We claim:

l. In a magnetic separator adapted to be coupled into a iluid pipe system, a housing having a horizontal partition dividing the same into an upper and a lower chamber; a lateral vertical partition dividing said upper chamber into a forward inlet compartment and a rearward outlet compartment; a longitudinal vertical partition dividing said lower chamber into a pair of side by side, longitudinally extending separation compartments, longitudinally extending magnetic plates forming the tloor of each said separation compartment; said horizontal partition having a pair of side by side inlet ports, each connecting said inlet compartment with one of said separa tion compartments and a pair of side by side outlet ports, each connecting said outlet compartment with one of said separation compartments; longitudinally extending baille means within each said separation compartment adapted to direct influent material laterally to one side of the magnetic plates therein and thence laterally across said plates to reach the outlet port of said compartment: a pair of inlet gates and a pair of outlet gates for opening and closing the inlet and outlet ports of each said separation compartment; gate actuating means extending outside said housing for selectively actuating said gates and detachable closure means on said housing for removal of tramp metal from said separation compartments.

2. A combination as specified in claim l wherein each said baille means comprises a unitary member of sheet material extending from the level of said horizontal partition down to a plane spaced above the plane of said magnetic plates, said member having an inclined portion under said inlet lcompartment for deeoting illuent. ma:

terial to one side of the bottom of said separation compartments and having a substantially vertical portion under said outlet compartment for directing effluent material laterally across said plates before gaining access to the outlet ports of said separation compartments.

3. A combination as specied in claim 1 wherein each said baflie means comprises a unitary member of sheet material extending from the level of said horizontal portion ldown to a plane spaced above the plane of said magnetic plates, said member having a laterally extending horizontal portion at the lower free terminal end thereof, substantially parallel to said magnetic plates for forming a flattened stream of fluent material over the central longitudinal section of said plates.

4. A combination as specied in claim 1 wherein said horizontal partition includes longitudinally extending grooves forming tracks for said inlet and outlet gates, and said gate actuating means comprises a pair of rotatable longitudinally extending rods threa'dedly connected to said gates, the rotation of said rods causing said gates to slide longitudinally of said housing in said grooves to open and close said ports.

5. A combination as speciied in claim l wherein the outlet ports in said horizontal partition are located proximate the lateral center line of said housing at a spaced distance in advance of the outlet end wall of said separation compartments whereby a dead end pocket is formed in each outlet end of said compartments for the accumulation of tramp metal on said plates.

6. A combination as specified in claim 1 wherein each said baffle means includes `an inclined portion under said inlet compartment and extending the full length of the inlet end of said separation compartments for deflecting influent material laterally for the full length thereof to ush out said inlet ends toward the outlet ends of said compartments.

7. In a magnetic separator the combination of a housing having a forward inlet compartment and a rearward outlet compartment above a pair of side by side separation compartments, a pair of flat magnetic plates extending longitudinally along the bottom of each said separation compartment; inlet means in said housing conducting uent material from said forward inlet compartment laterally into one side of the entire forward end of each of said separation compartments; outlet means in said housing conducting fluent material from the forward portion of the rearward end of each of said separation compaitments into said rearward outlet compartment and longitudinally extending batlle partition means within each said separation compartment, said means including a horizontal baffle extending the full length of each said separation compartment at a spaced distance above the magnetic plates therein, for conducting fluent material laterally across said plates between said inlet means and said outlet means.

8. A magnetic separator `as specified in claim 7 plus slidable gate means within said housing operable from outside said housing, said gate means being adapted to open and close the inlet and outlet means of each said separation compartment.

9. In a magnetic separator adapted to be coupled into a fluid pipe system, a housing having a separation chamber therein; a vertical, longitudinal partition dividing said chamber into -a pair of independent, longitudinal, separation compartments; longitudinal magnetic plates forming the floor of each said separation compartments; inlet means in said housing including a pair of identical inlet ports, each in the roof of one of said separation compartments, longitudinal bale means depending from the roof of each said separation compartment and terminating in a plane spaced above the plane of said magnetic plates, said baffle means having an inclined pontion below said inlet ports for deflecting iniluent material to one side of each said separation compartment; outlet means in said housing including a pair of identical outlet ports, each leading from one of said separation compartments and gates, movable from outside said housing, for selectively closing the Iinlet and outlet port of each said separation compartment.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

